Sweet fuck all. Just seems odd that you're saying 'say what you like' while also saying you wish people wouldn't discuss refs. If you've no interest in what's being talked about then why bother comment. That's not having a go by the way, just don't see why you would waste your time.

reddevil93 wrote:
Sweet fuck all. Just seems odd that you're saying 'say what you like' while also saying you wish people wouldn't discuss refs. If you've no interest in what's being talked about then why bother comment. That's not having a go by the way, just don't see why you would waste your time.

I'm saying the solution to the problem being discussed is less focus (from the media, pundits etc) on refs. The narrative they create is always about decisions. They should IMO focus more on the game itself.

TheSaint wrote:
I appreciate that the Young one may not be against the rules as they stand but what's the thinking behind the keeper having more of a right to follow through than any other player on the field?

Surely if a player arrives after the ball and takes the man then it's a foul?

Yep, the protection keepers, and to some extent defenders, get from referees is crazy. Tugging out of a player at a corner is good defending yet a forward trying to con a ref with a dive is appalling. That's not to say I agree with diving to any extent but I do have some sympathy for some players. I wonder what the ratio for frees out compared to penalties given at corners is, because god only knows it's almost always both players fouling.

kalel wrote:
I honestly think the best thing would be to just stop focusing so much on decisions and get on with things a bit more. Video replays will just result in even more navel gazing. Refs are better trained, equipped and prepared than ever before, and yet the better they are, the more we expect of them. I just long for the days when everyone talked about football more than refs after games. You'd think the Young penalty was the deciding factor in that game, but if United could have managed more than half a dozen shots on target it would have been a minor incident.

If you have a video ref, you'd be able to do exactly that though. Game stops, video ref checks, call it and the game carries on. These discussions really exist because it's not the right calls being made.

reddevil93 wrote:
Sweet fuck all. Just seems odd that you're saying 'say what you like' while also saying you wish people wouldn't discuss refs. If you've no interest in what's being talked about then why bother comment. That's not having a go by the way, just don't see why you would waste your time.

I'm saying the solution to the problem being discussed is less focus (from the media, pundits etc) on refs. The narrative they create is always about decisions. They should IMO focus more on the game itself.

I'm not saying people in this thread should stop talking about it.

Its not going to stop though to be fair. It's the nature of football - bad officiating will have more of an influence on football than any other major sport in the world yet it's impossible to change without the game becoming more mechanised and, for lack of a better term, soulless.

So while it might be harsh giving out about referees it's going to continue while they play such a big role in the outcome of matches.

IRT wrote:
If you have a video ref, you'd be able to do exactly that though. Game stops, video ref checks, call it and the game carries on. These discussions really exist because it's not the right calls being made.

kalel wrote:
It's not the nature of football. The focus on refs and their decisions is a relatively recent thing. It's come with better camera tech.

Not only that, but post match interviews with managers focus on refs because they love the controversy, and that in turn lets them go over the incidents again and again.

Again, this is why I long for the old days when they'd actually talk about football and tactics and such.

I'd say they went as the rules got tougher. A few years ago, players use to get away with some really ugly stuff. As the they got stomped out, the focus moved to what is and isn't allowed. Which is exactly where we're at right now. Every move and action under the microscope as people try to interpret if a players action is allowed or not...

IRT wrote:
If you have a video ref, you'd be able to do exactly that though. Game stops, video ref checks, call it and the game carries on. These discussions really exist because it's not the right calls being made.

Pertinent point bolded. Honestly, fuck that.

Theres nothing wrong with football as it is, leave it alone.

Like I previously stated though. The game stops now regardless. Why do you think it's rare to see a game have under 3 minutes of extra time despite no injures nowadays? The clock on the boards might not stop, but someone is recording those minutes between the whistle stopping and starting the game.

IRT wrote:
If you have a video ref, you'd be able to do exactly that though. Game stops, video ref checks, call it and the game carries on. These discussions really exist because it's not the right calls being made.

Pertinent point bolded. Honestly, fuck that.

Theres nothing wrong with football as it is, leave it alone.

This. I can't think of anything more boring than constantly stopping a game just to check how far Young lept. Human error is half the entertainment in football, especially when it comes to dodgy decisions.

Bring in video replays and you open a whole new chapter in navel gazing about decisions - should they have used up that challenge then, was that one done just to waste time, wasn't it a shame that this player tricked the ref by diving so the manager had to unfairly use his last challenge etc etc.

IRT wrote:
If you have a video ref, you'd be able to do exactly that though. Game stops, video ref checks, call it and the game carries on. These discussions really exist because it's not the right calls being made.

Pertinent point bolded. Honestly, fuck that.

Theres nothing wrong with football as it is, leave it alone.

Like I previously stated though. The game stops now regardless. Why do you think it's rare to see a game have under 3 minutes of extra time despite no injures nowadays? The clock on the boards might not stop, but someone is recording those minutes between the whistle stopping and starting the game.

Thats completely different from deliberately stopping the game to consult a video ref and completely unnecessary.